Some say that it’s quite possibly the best homologation car in recent years, some say it’s probably the best Toyota in the world. All we know is, the Toyota GR Yaris has been awarded Hot Hatch of the Year by Top Gear Magazine (TGM).

The sprightly, mighty rally car for the streets received its third major award in three weeks since its UK launch. Talk about being perfect on your debut!

According to the magazine’s editor, Jack Rix, everything about the GR Yaris seemed right.

“From its bespoke, inflated three-door shell, to its boosted three-cylinder engine and trick 4WD system, it’s a proper homologation special, real rally-tech for the road and built by a team at Gazoo Racing who were prepared to sweat the finer details to get it right. I can’t recall a car in the last five years that felt so right in our hands in the first 50 metres,” says Rix.

Besides bagging the award from TGM, the GR Yaris was also awarded by CAR magazine as their Hot Hatch of the Year and Autocar as their Best Affordable Driver’s Car.

The hot hatch also ranked third overall in Autocar’s annual Best Driver’s Car ranking, outperforming the likes of Lamborghini, Porsche, and Aston Martin.

Powered by the world’s most powerful 3-cylinder engine (272 PS/370 Nm), the GR Yaris could be arriving in Malaysia very soon (17-Dec, in fact). However, unlike in the UK, the GR Yaris won’t be priced affordably and is expected to cost more than RM 330k.

A hefty price to pay but this is no regular Yaris, it’s Toyota’s gift to the car enthusiasts of the world.